World War 2 | War History

Operation Frankton: When ‘Canoeing Commandos’ Took On the Enemy In Kayaks

Herbert Hasler and Bill Sparks looking out over the water

While some engaged the enemy with the use of high tech aircraft or well-armored tanks during World War II, others were sent on missions using…

Operation Bodenplatte: The New Year’s Day ‘Hangover Raid’ That Devastated the Luftwaffe

Smouldering remains of a North American B-25 Mitchell at Melsbroek

Launched as part of the Battle of the Bulge, Operation Bodenplatte was meant to devastate Allied airfields in the Low Countries. While Wehrmacht soldiers were fighting…

Sonderkommando ‘Elbe’ – Germany’s Aerial Kamikaze Force

Three Messerschmitt Bf 109s in flight

Japanese kamikaze pilots were well known during the Second World War for their sacrificial bombing tactics against enemy naval vessels. They would put their aircraft…

What Is the Real Story Behind WWII’s Famous Crying Child-Soldier Photograph?

Hans-Georg Henke crying in uniform

This photograph of a crying child-soldier, taken in 1945, shows a young German, identified as Hans-Georg Henke. The image has served to illustrate the feelings…

What Happened to the Jewish Soldiers Who Served with the German Army in World War I?

Jewish German soldiers gathered together for a Yom Kippur service

Prior to the Second World War, Jewish soldiers actively fought in the German Army. This included World War I and a number of conflicts fought…

Rod Serling’s Service In the Pacific Influenced the Anti-War Attitudes of ‘The Twilight Zone’

Promotional portrait of Rod Serling on the set of 'The Twilight Zone'

Rod Serling was among the most prolific television writers of the 20th century. The mastermind behind the cult classic anthology series, The Twilight Zone (1959-64),…

Operation Chariot: The Daring British Raid on St. Nazaire

HMS Campbeltown (I42) on top of the gates at Normandie dry dock

By early 1942, the British had faced continued setbacks as a result of Germany’s escalation of the Second World War. Air raids decimated city streets,…

The Real-Life Men Behind the Characters of ‘SAS: Rogue Heroes’

Still from 'SAS: Rogue Heroes'

SAS: Rogue Heroes (2022-present) premiered on BBC One in October 2022. The six-part miniseries centers around the creation of the British Army’s Special Air Service…

Loss of the SS Cap Arcona: The German Prison Ship Sunk By the RAF with 5,000 Concentration Camp Prisoners Onboard

SS Cap Arcona at sea

The SS Cap Arcona was at the heart of one of the largest loss of life incidents during the Second World War. Compared to events where…

Mariya Oktyabrskaya: The Red Army Tanker Who Avenged Her Husband

Mariya Oktyabrskaya standing in the hatch of a T-34

Mariya Oktyabrskaya was a telephone operator hellbent on revenge after finding out her husband had been killed in battle against the Germans. Taking matters into…

Secretary Convicted of Complicity In 10,500 Concentration Camp Deaths

Irmgard Furchner sitting with her face covered

Irmgard Furchner, a former German secretary who worked at Stutthof concentration camp in northern Poland during the Second World War, has been convicted and sentenced…

Aleksandra Samusenko: The Only Female Tank Commander of the Second World War

Red Army soldiers stood atop T-34s

Women during the Second World War were typically relegated to working as nurses, in factory production or, in some instances, in the military, to fill…